Identify a Garden Spider

The garden spider (Argiope aurantia) is an orb-weaver, which means it spins its web in a circle. It is also commonly called a golden orb-weaver or a writing spider because it adds a zigzag pattern to its web.

Steps

  1. Know what a garden spider is. Here are some key characteristics.
    • Physical features: Females are 3/4 to 1 1/8” (19-28 mm) long and males are 1/4" to 3/8" (5-9 mm) long.
    • Poisonous: No
    • Lives in: the United States
    • Eats: These spiders are beneficial because they eat a wide variety of garden pests. They actively catch their prey during daylight hours. They tend to eat flies, moths, wasps, mosquitoes, beetles, and grasshoppers.

Identifying a Garden Spider

Garden spiders are black and yellow. Their webs are always circular.

  1. Look for a small cephalothorax (the front body section) that is covered with short, silvery hairs.
  2. Notice if it has 3 claws on each foot, which is 1 more claw than most spiders have.
  3. Observe the legs; they will be black and have red or yellow bands on them. Sometimes, the front legs have no markings at all.
  4. Determine if the spider is a female by seeing if she hangs her head down from the center of the web. She will often hold her legs together, so it looks like she only has 4 legs instead of 8 legs.

Recognizing Garden Spider Habitats

The garden spider is most often found in gardens or in any locale where there is little wind that will disturb their webs. They repair or rebuild their webs at night and will stay in the same location if they are not disturbed.

  1. Look for the Garden spider in tall weeds.
  2. Find this spider not only in your garden, but near supporting structures around your home, such as trellises.
  3. Keep in mind that the Garden spider prefers sunny areas and is likely to spin its web in a sunny location that affords some protection from the wind.
  4. Look closely at the web; it will have a “z” shaped pattern running vertically through the center.

Treating a Bite

The garden spider is not venomous and it is not aggressive. A bite from a garden spider is extremely rare, but if you are bitten, you will not experience any significant pain.

  1. Let the bite heal on its own. If you feel discomfort, try putting some ice on the spot to numb it until the discomfort subsides.

Tips

  • The garden spider rarely spins its web more than 8’ (mm) above the ground, but you will sometimes find its web under the eaves of houses or other taller structures.
  • Garden spiders typically live for about 1 to 2 years, and are preyed on by wasps.

Warnings

  • The garden spider’s web can be as large as 2’ (609 mm) across, and although this can be a nuisance when you are trying to work in your garden, keep in mind that the garden spider is very beneficial to the eco system. If you constantly destroy their webs, they will go elsewhere.

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Sources and Citations

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